Thursday, October 22, 2009

Kudos From the Village Voice

We need to thank the folks over at the Village Voice for recognizing our work on behalf of small business-and awarding Richard Lipsky as the, "Best Small Business Lobbyist." It should, however, be pointed out that there aren't too many lobbyists to choose from in the category, as the Voice realizes: "In a city where lobbyists get paid big bucks to whisper quietly to influential politicians, Richard Lipsky will have none of it. He barks, bellows, and bites. When handed the microphone at a rally, he's as good a rabble-rouser as an irate Bronx tenant. This is not how lobbyists are supposed to do business, but Lipsky has long gone his own way. Victims who can attest to the sharpness of his bite include the likes of Wal-Mart—defeated three times in its bid to find sites for giant local box stores."

And thanks for the recognition of our blog as well: "Another un-lobbyist-like tool is his nonstop blog—cloyingly dubbed "momandpopnyc.com"—which regularly takes journalists to task on subjects ranging from Israel to school testing. He may also be the only lobbyist now working City Hall to hold a Ph.D., which he sometimes can't help showing off: His blog posts often include words like "avidity"—which he knows the press corps will have to look up."

Still, the greatest recognition we can receive, comes from helping yet another little guy defeat the less than honorable intentions of the city-usually done on behalf of some fat cat developer. It's been a rewarding almost three decades, and we don't feel the need to slow down since there are so many good fights left to wage.